WARNING: This article contains major spoilers for the season 3 finale of The White Lotus.
In a gripping finale for the third season of The White Lotus, the character Lochlan undergoes a profound metaphysical experience, leading him to believe he has “seen God.”This visionary moment occurs just as he appears to be drowning, coinciding with a desperate act from Timothy, who attempts to poison his family—excluding Lochlan—by preparing piña coladas laced with toxic pong-pong tree fruit. Although Timothy ultimately refrains from carrying out his plan, Lochlan unknowingly reuses the contaminated blender, resulting in a near-fatal incident the following morning.
On the final day of the Ratliff family’s stay at the resort, Lochlan decides to mimic his brother Saxon by making a protein shake. However, he mistakenly uses the dirty blender, which leads to him violently vomiting and collapsing. While his family heads out for breakfast, Lochlan gasps for air as he lies on the ground, seemingly teetering on the brink of death. The absence of any religious background leaves Lochlan without a framework for understanding his predicament. Miraculously, however, he awakens in his father’s arms, seemingly changed and possessing a newfound awareness of spirituality.
Understanding Lochlan’s Drowning Vision
The Water as a Transcendental Bridge Between Life and Death
As the episode reaches its climax, Lochlan finds himself submerged in a vast pool, struggling to swim upward. This struggle signifies his imminent death due to the poisonous fruit. Instead of calling for help when his family departs, Lochlan chooses silence out of embarrassment over his illness. As he floats on his back, gazing at the sun and palm trees, his vision fades, leading him into a trance-like state under the water.
Interestingly, while hallucinations are not a typical reaction to consuming pong-pong tree fruit, Lochlan’s experience represents a metaphorical journey towards death and potential transcendence. His visual of swimming up signifies a battle for existence as the poison takes effect. Notably, Timothy does not check on Lochlan’s vital signs before his revival, raising questions about parental responsibility in the face of emergency.
The Mysterious Figures Seen by Lochlan
Faceless Figures: Spiritual Guides or Monkish Leaders?
As Lochlan struggles to ascend, he suddenly comes across four figures observing him from above. Their exact identities remain ambiguous, yet Lochlan’s comment to his father upon awakening—”I think I saw God”—suggests these figures hold deep spiritual significance. Whether they symbolize monks, prophets, or deities is debatable, but their facelessness hints at a broader connection to the divine. This encounter leads Lochlan to achieve a sense of Buddhist detachment, freeing himself from the burdens of desire and identity.
These enigmatic observers likely embody not just a moment of acknowledgment from another realm, but represent ancestral spirits possessing great wisdom in Buddhism, divinity, and the natural world. Their silent presence at Lochlan’s pivotal moment enhances the notion that he is being watched over spiritually, influencing his perspective on life after his near-death encounter.
Lochlan’s Interpretation of Encountering God
A Profound yet Inexplicable Spiritual Experience
Lochlan’s brush with death instills in him the belief that he has had a genuine encounter with the divine. Under Buddhist philosophy, death is not perceived as a finality but rather a transition, illustrating the continuous nature of existence. The water in which Lochlan finds himself can be interpreted as this mystical bridge, while the monk-like figures may serve as guides to another reality. Although Lochlan may not yet grasp the full implications of his spiritual experience by season’s end, he may be labeling it “seeing God”based on a transformative moment without fully comprehending its depth.